Civil War events pull customers to York restaurants

Mary Jane's Restaurant waitress Megan Theobald helps diner Ronald Franklin of Kentucky and his family. The West Manchester Township restaurant is on Route 30 and its owners hope to see an uptick in customers as visitors travel to Gettysburg. (Bil Bowden)

There were a lot of new faces in Mary Jane's Restaurant last weekend.

But it's hard to tell if any visitors to the 16-year-old West Manchester Township diner were in town for the 150th anniversary of local Civil War events, said co-owner Diana Rhodes.

"We don't really ask them if they're in town for any of that, but we do hope to get some of that traffic," she said.

Mary Jane's typically sees a boost this time of year, Rhodes said.

"Civil War events or not, we do see business pick up a

little during the summer tourist season," she said.

At 4345 W. Market St., Rhodes said her restaurant is slightly off the beaten path.

"I think most people stop at chain restaurants along Route 30," she said.

From Illinois: James Hencher, a 57-year-old retired history teacher from Illinois, on Friday stopped at Denny's along Route 30 to fuel up before taking in a weekend full of Civil War events.

A self-proclaimed Civil War buff, Hencher said he was enjoying his visit to York and Adams counties.

"These areas are important to Civil War history, and I really wanted to experience some of that history," he said.

Last weekend, Hencher planned to attend the re-enactment of the Confederate raid on Hanover Junction and hopes to attend a re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg this weekend.

Civil War anniversary events kicked off earlier this month and will continue through the first weekend in July.

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Hoping for sales: Local restaurants are hoping a higher volume of tourists will translate to a higher volume of customers.

"You always wish events will bring more people through your doors," said Omar Ilayan, manager of Lee's Diner.

The diner at 4320 W. Market St. in West Manchester Township has seen the same foot traffic it normally does, he said.

"In the restaurant industry, you never know. One day it can be really busy, and one day it can be slow," Ilayan said.

For similar reasons, it might be hard to notice much of an uptick at Round the Clock Diner, said owner Themi Sacarellos.

"With Route 30 being as busy as it always is, a 1 or 3 percent increase may not be as noticeable here," he said.

At the diner at 222 Arsenal Road in Manchester Township, business is as steady as the traffic on Interstate 83 and Route 30, Sacarellos said.

"The restaurant business is more of a stable business when compared to (other industries)," he said. "Even with a busy summer tourist season, it somehow balances out."

A slow Monday or Tuesday is balanced by a busy Wednesday or Thursday, Sacarellos said.

"The thing that impacts us most is inclement weather," he said.

Busiest year: Better weather is also a boost to business at Morningstar Marketplace in Thomasville.

"If it's not raining, there's no place to park," said owner Andy Lentz.

The sign near the marketplace welcomes visitors attending Civil War events, and those visitors might be accepting the invitation.

"We've been busier than we've been in 14 years. This is by far the best year we've ever had," he said.

It's hard to determine how many of Morningstar's 20,000 weekend visitors are guests who are in town for Civil War events, Lentz said.

Every weekend has been "great" at the marketplace, which is a farmer's market with more than 100 vendors and also has an antique gallery, restaurant, clothing, sports memorabilia, thrift shops, a solar farm and a flea market, he said.

"I'm sure we've had some Civil War traffic, and we're planning on more," Lentz said. "I bet a lot of people want to be in town for the events around the Fourth of July."